Cinema VinesActress Janhvi Kapoor has publicly denounced the spread of an AI‑generated deepfake video that used her likeness in the “Devara Part 1” song “Chuttumalle.” The clip, which was circulated online without her permission, has sparked a renewed debate about digital manipulation and the violation of women’s consent.
In a detailed Instagram post, Kapoor condemned the misuse of technology, describing the creation and sharing of the morphed video as a “deeply violating” act that borders on sexual assault. She highlighted that the objectification of women through fabricated digital content is an escalating problem, noting that “almost every woman in my industry has faced some version of this.” She emphasized that consent, choice and respect for a woman’s body should be fundamental human rights, and that these principles are often treated as overly complicated when they are, in fact, basic.
Kapoor explained that consent cannot be assumed or taken for granted, using an analogy that even if a woman says “yes” repeatedly, a single “no” must be respected. She warned that a woman’s clothing does not grant permission for invasive or exploitative photography. The actress stressed that what a woman is comfortable with, where she draws the line and what she chooses to do with her body are decisions that belong exclusively to her.
She framed the incident within a broader discussion about women’s safety, noting that the threat of violation has now extended into the digital realm. “This goes far beyond the AI videos I have dealt with over the last few days, or anything I have personally experienced throughout my career,” Kapoor said. “It is about the larger reality of being a woman, the gaze, the judgement, the constant negotiation for safety, and the feeling that our boundaries somehow remain open to interpretation.”
Kapoor also argued that responsibility cannot rest solely on women to protect themselves. She called for a cultural shift that challenges the conditioning that makes people feel entitled to violate others’ boundaries. “The answer cannot simply be to ‘protect your daughter.’ We also need to undo the conditioning that makes people believe they are entitled to violate somebody else’s boundaries in the first place,” she wrote. She urged men to act as exemplars, possessing the moral compass and courage to clearly state what is right and what is wrong.
